1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of articulated vehicles. The articulated mine service vehicle of the present invention is of rugged construction, has a low profile, is very powerful and maneuverable. Thus it is able to operate reliably and with a minimum of maintenance in underground mine shafts and tunnels. The vehicle is provided with a crane to lift and carry heavy loads, particularly in areas having limited headroom. The weight of the power unit is used as a maneuverable counterweight to the objects being lifted by its crane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the mining industry, particularly that pertaining to underground mines, the removal of desired ore or minerals and other rock or material with which it is found at the working faces in a mine, and the transfer of this mined material to the surface from the working faces is by powerful machines. The working faces of the mines are connected to vertical shafts provided with lifts, for example, by tunnels or shafts. For reasons of strength and safety and at the same time to minimize costs, the height and width of these shafts and tunnels and the working faces are limited to the minimum which will accommodate the machinery used. Another characteristic of such mines is that the surfaces of such shafts on which wheeled vehicles ride are very rough. Typically such shafts and tunnels are 10 feet wide and 8 feet high.
Because of the environment existing in most underground mines, there is a need for a compact, maneuverable, rugged and powerful vehicle to service the men and equipment working in them by transporting workers to locations where they are needed and for moving and servicing heavy machinery.
As a result of the nature of the machinery used, principally at the working faces of underground mines, there is a need for a vehicle with a crane mounted on it that can lift failed components such as motors, generators, etc. from such machines and transport the failed component to a repair facility. After the components are repaired or replaced, the vehicle transports the repaired components, or substitutes therefor, to the machine and aids in replacing them. The magnitude of the problem is better understood when it is realized that such mining machinery uses motors, diesel or electric, that weigh from four to six thousand pounds as the source of their power and that the height of the space in which these machines are located is normally no greater than 8 feet. Obviously it is more economical to take the failed components to a repair shop than to have to remove the machine of which the failed motor is a component to a place where repair facilities are located.
A problem in underground mines has been that mobile cranes that have the capacity to lift and carry weights in the four to ten thousand pound range are so massive and unmaneuverable that they frequently are not able to reach the working face, for example, where the machine is located or if they could reach the machine, then they are so big that because of the limited headroom there is not space for the crane to lift the load clear of the machine in which it is located. More maneuverable mobile cranes can reach the site where disabled equipment is located but are unable to lift and carry heavy loads.